Davis Oil Company renewed its membership with Growth Energy Market Development recently, they were prior members of the NEVC since 2003. Davis Oil Company is a four generation family owned company, founded in 1946 by Mr. Mayo Davis. Now operated by four brothers’ — the Sexton’s. Davis Oil primarily operates in central Georgia along the I-75 corridor, about 100 miles south of Atlanta. They are a fuel distributor of both ethanol and biodiesel.
Davis Oil first installed ethanol into their fueling facilities because the Alternative Fuels Manager, Dennis Burnett sat on the clean cities board and Davis Oil was a member of the NEVC. Both clean cities and the NEVC assisted Davis Oil with applying for grants and funding. They were the first station to bring E85 to Georgia. Although they first installed biodiesel into their business, it gradually and naturally moved to ethanol.
“We were informed and wanted to become more involved, it seemed going green was becoming a trend,” noted Dennis Burnett, Alternative Fuels Manager of Davis Oil.
Davis Oil Company currently has 16 fueling stations, all stations offer E10, five offer E85 and two offer biodiesel. The locations that offer E85 are:
- Fillers #24 is located in Perry, GA off of I75, exit 135, which was the first E85 station in the state of GA.
- Fillers #16 is located at I-75 and exit 109 in Vienna, GA.
- Fillers #202 at I-75 and exit 149 in Byron, GA.
- Fillers #21 is located in Warren Robins, GA. The station first carried E85 because one of the largest air force bases is located in GA and did not offer E85.
- Fillers #28 is located on Houston Lake Rd in Perry, Georgia and is a branded chevron station.
The greatest obstacle challenging the growth of alternative fuels and E85 vehicles, according to Dennis Burnett the Alternative Fuels Manager of Davis oil is education. “Consumers are not aware that they can use E85. We’ve Purchased brochures from Growth that shows all the vehicles, models and makes which assists with some consumer education. Burnett goes on to explain, “Through the clean cities and the ethanol industry we can continue to educate consumers. TV educational clinics, public service programs advertising e85 and alternative fuels. I have contributed to a number of panels that discuss alternative fuels, power point presentations at rotary clubs, civic groups, informing the public of the benefits of alternative fuels.”
